Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Ratatouille
French stewed vegetable dish From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Ratatouille (/ˌrætəˈtuːi/ RAT-ə-TOO-ee, French: [ʁatatuj] ⓘ; Occitan: ratatolha [ʀataˈtuʎɔ] ⓘ) is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables that was popularised in Nice and is sometimes referred to as ratatouille niçoise (French: [niswaz]).[1] Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include tomato, garlic, onion, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), bell pepper, and some combination of leafy green herbs common to the region, such as marjoram, fennel, and basil, or dried bay leaves, thyme, or mixed herbes de Provence.
Remove ads
Etymology
The word ratatouille derives from the Occitan ratatolha[2] and is related to the French ratouiller and tatouiller, expressive forms of the verb touiller, meaning "to stir up".[3][4] From the late 18th century, in French, it merely indicated a coarse stew.
History
![[icon]](#/media/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion with: the history of the dish. You can help by adding to it. (December 2025) |
Modern ratatouille uses tomatoes as a foundation for sautéed garlic, onion, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), bell pepper, marjoram, fennel and basil. Instead of basil, bay leaf and thyme, or a mix of green herbs like herbes de Provence can be used. The modern version does not appear in print until c. 1930.[5]
Remove ads
Preparation
The Guardian's food and drink writer Felicity Cloake wrote in 2016 that, considering ratatouille's relatively recent origins, there exists a great variety of methods of preparation for it.[6] The Larousse Gastronomique says, "according to the purists, the different vegetables should be cooked separately, then combined and cooked slowly together until they attain a smooth, creamy consistency."[7]
Gallery
Ratatouille niçoise, served with buckwheat
Ratatouille niçoise with fresh herbs
Raw ingredients
Heavily simmered and garnished with fresh parsley
Small pyramid (Confit byaldi)
Related dishes
 |
Similar dishes exist in many cuisines. These include: piperade (South-West of France), bohémienne (Vaucluse), chichoumeille (Languedoc), tian (South east of France), Confit byaldi (created by Michel Guérard), pisto (Castilian-Manchego, Spain), samfaina (Catalan, Spain), tombet (Majorcan), ciambotta, caponata and peperonata (Italy),[8] briám and tourloú (Greek), şakşuka and türlü (Turkish), ajapsandali (Georgian), lecsó (Hungarian), pinakbet (Filipino), ghiveci (Romanian) and zaalouk (Moroccan). Different parts of the Indian subcontinent have their own versions of winter vegetable stew. Gujarat makes undhiyu, Kerala avial (with coconut and local spices), and Bengal shukto.
Remove ads
In popular culture
In 2007, Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios released the film Ratatouille. The movie gave widespread exposure to this dish around the world.[9]
See also
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads